"It does not appear that private participation leads to the eventual demise of public health care."

These are the words, not of a private clinic operator, a doctor, or even the Canadian Taxpayers Federation - these are the words of the the Supreme Court of Canada in its Chaoulli v Quebec ruling. Dr. Jacques Chaioulli successfully challenged the prohibition on a patient's right to purchase needed medical services and insurance as a violation of Quebecers human rights.

Enter Manitoba. The private Maples Surgical Centre in Winnipeg is in the process of receiving accreditation from the College of Physicians and Surgeons for an MRI. When it does, patients can pay $695 out their pockets to have a scan done instead of waiting on a government list or jetting off to another country. Manitoba may soon be the first province to test the Supreme Court rulings application outside of Quebec.

Let's hope they do.

A private MRI in Manitoba -- with a 48 hour turnaround time -- would not only give patients choice, but help reduce wait times. According to the Government of Manitoba's Wait Time website the average wait for an MRI at St. Boniface General Hospital is 17 weeks.

Before the anti-free market health care zealots call Maude Barlow to organize rallies on the steps of the legislature, here are some facts of the state of health care right now.

Fact: Canada, Cuba and North Korea are the only three countries in the world that DO NOT allow citizens to spend their after tax dollars on health care.

Fact: Since the 1999/00 budget, Manitoba's spending on health care has ballooned from $2.1 billion to $3.2 billion in 2004/05.

Fact: Canada spends more on health care than any other universal access country, yet waiting lists are getting longer, doctor shortages continue, and costs are escalating.

Fact: By 2034, health care will consume 75 per cent of the provincial budget - leaving little left over for education, roads, the environment or social services.

The usual tired arguments from the medi-scare crowd pretend our only choices are between a faltering state-run monopoly or an American for-profit model. Nonsense. There are 29 countries in the world with better health systems than Canada's, according the most recent study by the World Health Organization. New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom all provide universal access to health care inside a mix of public and private delivery.

As the Supreme Court stated: "Democracies that do not impose a monopoly on the delivery of health care have successfully delivered ... services that are superior to and more affordable than the services that are presently available in Canada. This demonstrates that a monopoly is not necessary or even related to the provision of quality public health care." Indeed, these 29 other countries have shorter wait times, better access to technology and better health outcomes than Canada. Most spend less than we do.

What's the problem here

Monopolies don't work. Canadians should not be denied choice. It's absurd that Manitobans can spend whatever they want on the health care of their cat or dog: but not for a sick child or a loved one. Denying citizens this right is, simply put, inhumane.

As the Supreme Court concluded: "The evidence in this case shows that delays in the public health care system are widespread, and that, in some serious cases, patients die as a result of waiting lists for public health care."

Amen.